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To drink a double IPA is typically to feel a double IPA. The extra alcohol offers a sharp warmth in the chest, a perfect complement to the thrill of controlled danger that comes with an ABV approaching double digits. Southern Tier’s 2XIPA is a standby, the Western New York standard for the style, while Ballast Point’s Watermelon Dorado, the one watermelon beer I can actually stomach, is a decent pick for a special occasion. If I were to pick a beer emblematic of the style, however, it would be Dogfish Head’s 90-minute IPA, perhaps their best beer despite its relative mundanity amongst their variety of odd flavors and styles, a perfect blend of flavorful hops, high(ish) alcohol, and a near-addictive drinkability whether cold or only slightly cooled.

Mostly, the double is something I’ll turn to in the winter, something that can give me the warmth of a stout or porter without the overwhelming darkness of those styles. Continue reading →

Actually, it was joined for me. It was a Christmas gift from my wife. It is the best Christmas gift, because it means for the next three months, I get fancy beers delivered to my door. Two big bottles of fancy beer a month. It brings a tear to my eye just to think about it.

Weyerbacher Brewing’s “Tango” is the first beer I’m trying from the beer club. In theory, it is my platonic ideal of beer: A Belgian dark ale, brewed with cherries.Continue reading →